RALEIGH (April 19, 2011) -- With hundreds of thousands of people unemployed in North Carolina, state leaders must act to create jobs and extend benefits -- not disparage jobless workers suffering in a prolonged economic crisis or play politics with peoples’ lives.

A press conference featuring unemployed workers, state budget experts and labor leaders will send that message outside the General Assembly on Tuesday, April 19 at 10 a.m.

Multiple jobless workers will speak at the event, as will Alexandra Forter Sirota of the NC Budget & Tax Center and MaryBe McMillan of NC AFL-CIO. The press conference will also be attended by unemployed workers from a variety of locations who will be available for media comment.

“It is unconscionable that our legislators are focused not on job creation but instead on dismantling basic protections for workers, undermining the Employment Security Commission and making it more difficult for the unemployed to receive benefits,” said McMillan. “We want to send a strong message that lawmakers should support working families, not add insult to injury during a deep economic crisis.”